Outer ring road compensation disbursal to begin this week

Thiruvananthapuram: The much-awaited compensation disbursal to the affected landowners whose properties were acquired for the development of the proposed outer ring road (NH 866) from Vizhinjam to Navaikulam in the state capital is set to begin within a week. Although it was supposed to start in Jan, it was delayed due to some technical issues. The district administration has already handed over Rs 700 crore to the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India), and they will disburse the compensation by crediting the money to the landowners' bank accounts. Meanwhile, the affected landowners have approached the state human rights commission seeking intervention for the speedy disbursal of compensation.

District collector Anu Kumari confirmed to TOI that the compensation disbursal would begin soon, as the NHAI informed them. "I was informed that the compensation disbursal will begin within a week. It was slightly delayed due to some technical issues. We approved the compensation for NHAI on Jan 10 itself. Now, the NHAI needs to transfer the money to landowners. In the first phase, 29 landowners will be awarded the compensation. The process of handing over the compensation to other landowners in 11 villages is also in progress, and it will be completed before March 31, 2025," she said.

According to NHAI officials, they aim to start the construction of the outer ring road from April.

However, the human rights commission chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas, has instructed the principal secretary of the public works department to submit a detailed report within six weeks on when the compensation for the land acquired for the outer ring road project can be distributed. The commission also requested that an officer not below the rank of joint secretary from the public works department be present during the hearing of the case in April.

The order was issued in response to a complaint alleging that, although Section 3D notifications and hearings in 11 villages were completed in April and May 2023 for land acquisition for the road, compensation has not been granted yet. The commission noted that the report submitted by the district collector on Sept 28 of last year did not mention when compensation could be distributed. The commission also pointed out that the central share has not been granted due to the incomplete land acquisition procedures, and the landowners are suffering due to the lack of compensation, as informed by the complainants.